Op pro



(No Mbdel.)

9. w. WORTH. A WIRE FENCE COUPLER AND TIGHTENER AND SLAG KENER AND OPENER.

No. 892,299. Patented Nov. 6, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE \V. WORTH, OF PROSPECTVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

WIRE-FENCE COUPLER AND TlGHTENER, AND SLACKENER AND OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,299, dated November 6, 1888.

7 Application filed August 21, 1888. Serial No. 283,328. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Prospectville, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Fence Couplers and Tighteners, and Slackeners and Openers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has for its objects to provide an improved device to be employed in connection with wire fences, whereby the wires between any two adjacent posts of the fence may be readily disconnected to afford a passage-way for animals, vehicles, or other purposes, and rapidly and conveniently closed again, the device serving, also, as a tightener, by means of which the wires may be drawn taut to brace the sections, as more fully hereinafter explained. These objects I attain by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of a fence, showing my device applied thereto, and Fig. 2 a detailed perspective view of the dev1cc.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A indicates the fenceposts of an ordinary wire fence, which may be of the usual or any ap proved construction, three posts only being shown in the present instance.

The letter B indicates one of the fence-wires secured at one end to one of the fence-posts, and 0 another wire secured to the next post. The wire B has secured to its free end a hook, D, for the purpose more fully hereinafter explained.

The letter E indicates my improved device, which consists of two levers, e e, fulcrumed at c", and provided with eyes f and f at the ends, for the purposes hereinafter specified.

In employing my improved device the hook at the end of the wire B is made to engage the eye f of the lever e, the levers being in position about as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The wire 0 is then drawn through the eye f of the lever e, bringing the device close up to the post to which said wire 0 is attached, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, and the free end of said wire is then fastened in any convenient manner. The levers are then brought to the position shown in Fig. 1, and their long arms are secured to the fence-wires by means of the hooks), which enter or are secured in the eyes f and are passed over the said fencewires. By this operation it will be evident that the wires will be drawn together and securely tightened and fastened, closing the fence. To open the fence, the operation is reversed, so as to loosen the wires, when the hook at the end of the wire 13 may be disengaged from the device and the Wire let down, the device hanging to the wire 0 close to the post to which said wire is attached, so as to be out of the way.

It will be seen from the above description that the device is simple in construction, eflicient in operation, and can be readily applied at any section of the fence, while at the same time it is durable and inexpensive.

It is evident that the power of the levers may be increased or diminished to suit the device to any purpose by changing the length of the levers, or the fulcrum-point thereof, without departing from the spirit of my invention. It will also be seen that the wires can be relaxed, so as not to be stretched and broken by contraction in cold weather.

By unhooking from the fence-wires (when the fence is shut or tightened) the long end of one or both of the levers c e, reversing the position of the arm or arms so released,(without unhooking the fence-wire from the eyes of either of the short ends of same levers,) and leaving one or both to swing loose or engaging its hook with the fence-wire in its reversed position, the wire will be slackened without opening or disconnecting the fence, and the relaxation can in some degree be adjusted to probable amount of shrinkage by reversing only one or both of said arms.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A device for connecting and disconnecting the wires of a fence to open and close the same, the said device consisting of two levers fulcrumed to each other and having eyes at each end, whereby they may be secured to the stretched and closed position, substantially as wires and operated to stretch and hold the specified. 10 same, substantially as specified. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 2. The combination, with the levers fulpresence of two witnesses.

cruined to each other and provided with eyes GEO. \V. \VORTH. at each end, of the hooks secured to the long Witnesses:

arms of the levers, whereby the said levers are HARRY M. \VORTH,

secured to the wires to hold the some in a \VILLIE D. \VORTII. 

